Relics of the Boston bombings

Almost a year has passed since the Boston Marathon was shattered by two explosions that killed three people and injured 264 at the race's crowded finish line.

After the bombings – the largest mass-casualty attack on U.S. soil since 9/11 – visitors and residents created a memorial in the city by leaving mementos dedicated to the victims. Soon many of the items, from hats to cuddly toys, will go on display at the Boston Public Library.

27 Mar 2014. BOSTON, UNITED STATES. BRIAN SNYDER/Brian Snyder

Archivists in Boston used to handling documents ranging from budget records to minutes of city council meetings have spent the last year processing thousands of sneakers, T-shirts and letters – all items from the makeshift memorial.

In the days that followed the Boston attacks, many personal tributes were left along the metal barricades that police used to fence off the site as they searched for clues about the bombers.

The memorial eventually moved to Copley Square, the site of the main branch of the Boston Public Library, and grew to thousands of items. On June 25 it was taken down on the order of then-Mayor Thomas Menino and handed over to city archivists, like Marta Crilly (pictured above), to catalogue.

27 Mar 2014. BOSTON, UNITED STATES. BRIAN SNYDER/Brian Snyder

To commemorate the anniversary of the attack, several hundred of the items will now return to the square, this time inside the main branch of the Boston Public Library for an exhibit that will run April 7 through May 11.

Marta Crilly, pictured holding a sign from the makeshift memorial, said the project has been a unique one for city archive staff, largely because the events are so recent.

"We are documenting history that we experienced personally, and in many ways that is a big advantage because we are not going to have a gap in the record," Crilly said. "It's very fresh."

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28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Many letters and signs from the makeshift memorial are being held in the city archive, while a whole range of other objects – like the flag pictured above – have been stored at a facility in Northborough, Massachusetts.

28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A worker's helmet, an artefact saved from the Boston Marathon memorial, is seen at the facility in Northborough, which is owned by document management company Iron Mountain.

28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A cuddly toy is seen at the centre.

28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

Runner's shoes from the memorial are pictured at the Iron Mountain facility.

28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A cross for M.I.T. police officer Sean Collier, who was killed by the Boston marathon bombing suspects, is seen in Northborough.

28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A T-shirt is pictured at the facility.

28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A hat from the memorial is pictured at the centre.

28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A vase, another artefact saved from the makeshift memorial, is seen at the Iron Mountain facility.

28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A 2007 Boston Marathon jacket is pictured at the centre.

28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A poster is seen at the Iron Mountain facility.

28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A T-shirt is seen at the facility in Northborough.

28 Mar 2014. NORTHBOROUGH, UNITED STATES. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

A large teddy bear wearing a "Watertown Strong" shirt is seen at the centre.